A power adapter is used with an electrical device to derive a required voltage or current from a main power supply. A power adapter may be used with an electrical device with no other source of power or with a battery-powered device to charge a battery. A power adapter may include, e.g. an AC adapter, AC/DC adapter, or AC/DC converter. The power adapter thus enables an electrical device to obtain power from a variety of different types of external power supplies, such as a 120V AC supply, 230V AC main supply, a battery, etc.
One type of power adapter includes a cigarette lighter adapter. A cigarette lighter adapter generally includes a power plug that connects to a cigarette lighter socket for providing power from a vehicle battery. The cigarette lighter adapter may also include a USB port that connects to a power cable to provide power to an electrical device in the vehicle. For example, when a device runs low or out of power, a power cable with a USB connector may be coupled to the USB port of the power adapter and to the external device. The cigarette lighter power plug of the power adapter is then plugged into the cigarette lighter socket. Power may then be transferred from the vehicle battery to the power adapter and then through the power cable to the electrical device.
One or more improvements to embodiments of a power adapter are described herein.